The city of Bothell celebrated the completion of three key downtown revitalization projects with a ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 18.

The projects include the Crossroads SR 522 Realignment, SR 522 Stage 2A and the Multiway Boulevard.

“Four years ago, when the city broke ground on the first two projects of Bothell’s revitalization plans,” said Joshua Freed, mayor. “We could only imagine what downtown Bothell would look like. Now, the transformation is tangible.”

The Crossroads Project realigned SR 522 one block to the south between 101st Avenue Northeast. and Northeast 180th Street, changing the way traffic moves through downtown Bothell, opening up new blocks for development, and expanding the Park at Bothell Landing. The project was funded in part by the Washington State Department of Commerce LIFT program as well as funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Transportation Improvement Board, the Community Economic Revitalization Board and the Public Works Trust Fund. This project broke ground in 2010 and was completed this July.

The completion of SR 522 Stage 2A means that the improvements at Bothell’s western entrance that started with the Wayne Curve project in 2010 now extend to 91st Avenue Northeast.  This multi-modal project constructed a westbound bus lane and north side sidewalk. The project also provided additional safety elements including wider lanes, center median islands and street lighting. These improvements will help the corridor move traffic more efficiently while providing better and safer alternatives to single occupancy vehicles. The project was funded in part by federal grants as well as grants from the Transportation Improvement Board and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The completion of the west side of the Multiway Boulevard shows off the new face of downtown Bothell, which the city council wanted to be a walkable, attractive place to live, work and play. This project will ultimately change the look and function of Bothell Way from the new section of SR 522 north to Reder Way. Instead of the current configuration of sidewalks next to fast-moving traffic, the road will be transformed into a European-style boulevard with tree-filled medians and parking separating walking routes from traffic, while improving traffic flow through the center of the road with extra lanes. The west side of the Boulevard was completed this past summer and includes raised medians with rain gardens, parking access lanes, 13.5-foot wide sidewalks and 70 new trees.

Thursday’s celebration is an echo of a celebration that took place in 100 years ago. In 1914, Bothell citizens held a “Good Roads Blowout” to celebrate the opening of the Red Brick Road. For that event, music was provided by the Bothell Cornet Band and mulligan stew was served. The Red Brick Road connected Bothell to Seattle, shortening the commute time from a 3-hour steamboat trip to a 55-minute ride by auto stage. That road eventually became known as SR 522, according to a city spokesperson.

Speakers at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony included Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed, Bothell City Manager Bob Stowe, Steve Gorcester from the Transportation Improvement Board and Ted Carlsen from the Public Works Board.